Las Vegas, Nevada – New footage has emerged revealing the harrowing moments of a deadly rampage that took place at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas last December. The video, released by the university, shows a campus police officer engaging in a shootout with a gunman who had already taken the lives of three professors and severely wounded a fourth.
The gunman, identified as Anthony Polito, was a 67-year-old former business professor from North Carolina whose applications to teach at UNLV had been rejected. Armed with a legally purchased 9 mm handgun and carrying nine bullet magazines, Polito unleashed what authorities described as 10 minutes of terror on the campus.
The newly released footage includes 20 hours of recordings from campus security cameras and officer body cameras, as well as over an hour of 911 calls made to campus police during the incident. The sounds of gunfire could be heard as chaos unfolded on the campus, with students and faculty fleeing the area.
University Vice President of Public Safety, Adam Garcia, expressed the emotional impact of the video footage, stating, “It is difficult to listen to these recordings and watch the videos and not reflect on the tragic events that day.” The recordings also captured the swift response of campus security and police officers as they worked to secure the area and assist those in need.
In the midst of the chaos, a visiting professor who was badly wounded managed to walk out of the building before collapsing behind a patrol car. UNLV President Keith Whitfield later informed the university community that the professor was “improving daily” and undergoing rehabilitation.
The incident, which occurred just a few miles from the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, served as a grim reminder of the ongoing threat of gun violence in the country. Las Vegas police worked tirelessly to sweep the campus, ensuring the safety of students and faculty before declaring that the gunman had acted alone.
As the community continues to grapple with the tragedy, the release of the video footage sheds light on the bravery and resilience displayed by law enforcement officers and first responders in the face of danger. The haunting images captured in the footage stand as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence in our society.